Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is Netflix’s No. 1 TV show in the U.S. as of Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, even though critics and many viewers have panned it. Short answer: the Ryan Murphy anthology premiere still owns the charts (and FlixPatrol’s global TV lead) while Rotten Tomatoes sits around 44% critics and roughly 35% audience, the franchise’s weakest viewer score so far.
TL;DR
- Tom’s Guide (Sept. 22, 2026): U.S. Netflix TV Top 10 for the week of Sept. 22–28 lists Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story at No. 1, ahead of Jo Koy: Blue in the Face and Crew Girl.
- ComingSoon (Sept. 21): season held U.S. No. 1 for three straight days after the Sept. 17 drop; cites 44% Rotten Tomatoes critics (16 reviews, 4.7/10 average) and 47 Metacritic.
- ScreenRant (Sept. 21): FlixPatrol put it No. 1 worldwide among Netflix TV; trending in 92 countries and No. 1 in 60, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, and more; audience score around 35%, below Ed Gein (49%), Menendez (57%), and Dahmer (82%).
- All eight episodes dropped at once on Sept. 17. Ella Beatty plays Lizzie; Charlie Hunnam plays Andrew Borden; Rebecca Hall, Vicky Krieps, Jessica Barden, Billie Lourd, and Sarah Paulson round out the ensemble.
- Bamfuzzle already has a facts guide and a true-story explainer. This piece owns the live Discover query: No. 1 despite bad reviews, not “is it true?”
Is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story No. 1 on Netflix?
Yes, in the U.S. TV ranking Tom’s Guide published on Sept. 22 for the Sept. 22–28 window. The same list puts Jo Koy: Blue in the Face at No. 2 and Crew Girl at No. 3, with I Survived a Serial Killer, The Gentlemen, and Death of the Pastor’s Wife also in the Top 10.
ScreenRant’s Sept. 21 FlixPatrol snapshot went further: after clearing Crew Girl on Saturday, Sept. 19, the season was the most-watched Netflix TV title worldwide and No. 1 in 60 of 92 countries where it was trending. ComingSoon independently reported a three-day U.S. No. 1 hold through the weekend after premiere.
Those are chart snapshots, not Netflix’s official weekly “Hours Viewed” Top 10 PDF. For Discover readers asking “is Monster Lizzie Borden still No. 1,” the useful answer is that major trackers still had it on top as of Sept. 21–22.
How bad are the reviews, exactly?
ComingSoon cites a 44% Rotten Tomatoes critics score from 16 reviews (average 4.7/10) and a 47 Metacritic. ScreenRant puts the critics score near 47% and the audience score near 35%, calling that the franchise’s lowest audience mark yet.
For context inside the same anthology:
- Dahmer: audience around 82%
- Menendez: around 57%
- Ed Gein: around 49%
- Lizzie Borden: around 35% audience
That gap is the story. Viewers are finishing (or at least starting) the binge even when the scoreboard says they do not like it.
Why is a poorly reviewed Monster season still winning?
A few non-mysterious reasons stack on top of each other.
1. Franchise gravity. Dahmer, Menendez, and Ed Gein trained a huge Netflix audience to show up on premiere day for the next Monster case. Hunnam’s return after Ed Gein, plus Beatty as the first alleged female lead in the series, keeps the brand searchable.
2. Instant binge drop. All eight episodes landed Sept. 17. Chart math favors full-season dumps that concentrate viewing in the first weekend, which matches ComingSoon’s three-day No. 1 report and ScreenRant’s global climb past Crew Girl by Sept. 19.
3. Controversy is fuel, not a brake. Polarized reviews and “worst Monster season” headlines keep the title in feeds. People open it to see if the backlash is fair, then the algorithm keeps serving it.
4. True-crime evergreen. Lizzie Borden is a schoolyard rhyme and a 130-year cold case debate. Netflix does not need critics to love the dramatization when curiosity about the real Fall River murders is already baked in.
None of that means the season is “secretly good.” It means Netflix Top 10 success and Rotten Tomatoes approval are different products. Bamfuzzle’s angle is the same one that works on cancelation and box-office explainers: report the chart, report the scores, and explain the gap without inventing Netflix’s internal metrics.
What is the season about (no heavy spoilers)?
The eight-episode season follows Lizzie Borden (Ella Beatty) in 1890s Fall River, Massachusetts, and the axe murders of her father Andrew (Charlie Hunnam) and stepmother Abby (Rebecca Hall). Vicky Krieps plays Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan, the housemaid whose closeness to Lizzie becomes a major dramatic thread. Ian Brennan showruns; Ryan Murphy produces. Tom’s Guide and ComingSoon both flag this as the anthology’s first season centered on an alleged female perpetrator.
Sarah Paulson appears as Aileen Wuornos in the same season package, a casting beat ComingSoon highlighted when tracking the rollout.
For the historical record versus dramatization, Bamfuzzle already covers that in Is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story a True Story? What Netflix Changes and the live facts guide at bamfuzzle.com/blog/lizzie-borden-facts-monster-season-4/.
How this fits Bamfuzzle’s Monster / true-crime cluster
Keep this URL pointed at chart + ratings queries (“Monster Lizzie Borden No. 1,” “Monster season 4 Rotten Tomatoes,” “why is Monster Lizzie Borden so popular”). Do not rewrite the true-story piece or the facts listicle. Soft internal links:
- 10 Lizzie Borden Facts Monster Season 4 Can’t Ignore
- Notion true-story explainer: Is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story a True Story? What Netflix Changes
Prefer updating this page if Netflix’s next official Hours Viewed list confirms or dethrones the No. 1 hold, rather than spinning a near-duplicate “still No. 1” post.
FAQ
Is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story No. 1 on Netflix right now?
As of Tom’s Guide’s Sept. 22 U.S. Top 10 snapshot for the week of Sept. 22–28, yes. ScreenRant’s Sept. 21 FlixPatrol read also had it No. 1 worldwide among Netflix TV titles.
What is the Rotten Tomatoes score?
ComingSoon reported 44% from critics (16 reviews). ScreenRant reported audience approval near 35%, the lowest in the Monster franchise so far.
When did it premiere?
Sept. 17, 2026, with all eight episodes available at once.
Who stars in it?
Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden, Charlie Hunnam as Andrew Borden, Rebecca Hall as Abby Borden, Vicky Krieps as Bridget Sullivan, plus Jessica Barden, Billie Lourd, and Sarah Paulson among the credited ensemble.
Is it based on a true story?
Yes, it dramatizes the 1892 Borden murders and Lizzie’s 1893 acquittal. For what Netflix changes versus the trial record, see Bamfuzzle’s true-story explainer linked above.
Will there be a Monster season 5?
No renewal for a fifth subject has been locked in the sources used here. Treat season 5 as unconfirmed unless Murphy/Brennan or Netflix announce it.
Sources
- Tom’s Guide, Sept. 22, 2026: U.S. Netflix TV Top 10 as of Sept. 22; Monster at No. 1; premise and cast overview.
- ComingSoon, Sept. 21, 2026: three-day U.S. No. 1; 44% RT / 47 Metacritic; cast, production window, Wuornos casting note.
- ScreenRant, Sept. 21, 2026: FlixPatrol global No. 1; 92 countries trending / 60 No. 1; audience score comparison across Monster seasons; Hunnam context.
- Bamfuzzle Lizzie Borden facts guide: existing cluster URL for historical context (not a chart piece).
